1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system and a method that manages energy use, and in particular, to a system and a method that monitors energy use and energy supplies using either a public or a private distributed network to initiate curtailment requests and disconnect dispensable loads from energy supplies or activate end-user generators.
2. Description of Related Art
New supplies of electricity will be needed as demand for electricity grows. To meet this demand, local and regional utilities are evaluating many different strategies from the building of thermal (steam-generated), water powered, fossil fuel, and nuclear generators to the pooling of unutilized electric capacity. In pooling systems, utilities join together in a grid system to share and distribute unutilized electric capacity through open market allocations. These systems offer great opportunities for economic gain as electric demand can be met without substantial investments in new power plants. However, these systems also have risks. Grid systems can breakdown when demand exceeds supply, which can affect large numbers of end users. To protect against power failures, end-users must also improve end-use efficiency.
One means of achieving a sustainable supply of electric power in the future is to use efficient end-use technologies. Energy efficiency programs that focused only on appliances, power plants, and equipment in the past now need to pursue other avenues of technology that increase the availability of energy and improve supply and end-user efficiency. New technologies must be found to meet customer, generator, supplier, network operator, regulator, and environmental policy maker objectives.
Another means of achieving a sustainable supply of electric power is to create competitive electric markets driven by demand side bidding. The goal of demand side bidding is to reduce the demand for energy through efficient load utilization and efficient energy distribution.
Demand side bidding offsets the need for increased generation through demand reduction. The system treats an offer from an end-user to reduce demand as an offer to sell generated electricity. The energy not consumed by an end-user is considered “generated” as it is available to meet other demand. There can be contractual incentives for end-users to switch dispensable loads off-line during periods of high demand. End-users, for example, might receive payments for “generating” electricity they do not consume. In practice, such a system has not met expectations as it requires an accessible system that integrates open market price exchanges with advanced technology.
In the drawings, the same reference numbers through several views designate the same or similar elements.